resurrection fern

Monday Morning Reflection

Mondays are always a time to reflect on the weekend passed and to plan for the week ahead.  I managed to finish and package some house warming gifts and birthday presents, finish my project submission for a book I was invited to be involved in, start my fiber piece for the milkweed project, my daughter and I tried out some new recipes, I crocheted a cover for something new ( a vintage plate), take a few walks in the forest and I even managed to start work on my plush you 2009 submission after being motivated by my dear friend and fantastic maker of plush 

Lisa.

I love the way the forest is reflected in the shiny patina of the back of the tea plate.  It has a little crocheted loop for hanging . I am on the look out for colorful little dishes now to one day be able to have an entire wall display of these.

That was a little sneak peek at my plush you 2009 contribution. I realized I had completely run out of eco fill to stuff the little guy.

I also tried out a new rose beer from Belgium and yes it really truly was pink and delicious. 

Now it is monday and I can already hear the large trucks rumbling down the street to start to work on those new homes. I had best get to work!

Nature Notebook

I found this really amazing vintage nature book at the thrift store this week and I thought that the title really summed up my day today. It is late now and I am heading to bed shortly but I just wanted to share a little of my journey today from the porch to the land where the ferns grow by the shore of a river and back home again.

I spent a great deal of time walking along the river and in the forest and I didn't  see any animals besides a few squirrels but as soon as I pulled my car into the driveway someone was staring at me, a very large mommy raccoon.  I had a chat with her about respecting each others space and that the snails in the garden are not to be eaten. We will just have to wait and see whether she is a good listener or not.

Most of the ferns were unfurled ( way ahead of what we usually see this time of year ) but I did manage to find some fiddleheads to steam and eat with dinner.

It is a very special treat that we look forward to every May. 

my day

My day started gardening with Edgar.

I think he thinks of this as the kitty version of a hot stone massage.

We found fern tucked under the lavender plant.

He has made a new friend.

Fantastic day for hanging clothes on the line. I finally got around to washing the treasures I found in Austria a few weeks ago.

My daughter's made the most wonderful lunch of corgette carbonara a la Jamie Oliver,  baguette with garlic butter and to top if off a key lime tarte.  The entire meal was so delicious. The tarte tasted far better than the one I had at Demel's in Vienna. 

The table was decorated with tiny flowers in small repurposed jars and key limes.

My son who unfortunately couldn't join us today sent me the most wonderful poem by email. I will share it with you later in the week after I find some pictures to complement it.

To top it off the magnolia tree was in full bloom. A pretty perfect day I think.

I am trying to keep my promise of an etsy shop update for tomorrow, May 11th at 7 pm. but I must admit I had forgotten today was Mother's Day and I am more than a little behind in preparations. We will just see how things go.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving !!!!

I wish I had a porch that wrapped around the world so I could invite you all to share in a thanksgiving feast but sharing our day with you is the next best thing. Enjoy the photographs, some of which were taken by my youngest photographer. Today I am going to get outside to savour the artful display that nature has created on this beautiful ,warm, October weekend.  I will be back tomorrow with some new little projects I am working on . 

A Cake Plate and Memories

I have owned this simple glass plate since before I was married . I think it is scandinavian. If I had to choose one item from my kitchen that holds the most memory and thus is most treasured it would be this plate. It holds the memory of at least 133 cakes and tarts celebrating family birthdays. It has held chocolate fudge cake, almond torte, fruit tarts, lemon cake, berry shortcakes , fruit tortes and most recently one of our favorites chocolate hazelnut torte. It has held a my little pony merry go round cake that went up in flame when lit for Rebekah's 5th birthday and the death star from starwars that was baked in a large round metal bowl ( or at least it was one half of the death star ) for one of Benjamin's birthdays. I wonder if trace elements of the plate were studied what they would find. I do know the surface of the plate is not as transparent as it used to be and has become a little translucent . Will it become opaque in spots after another 133 birthdays. Our memory starts out like that , transparent and clear but over the years it becomes a little less clear and then not clear at all but there will always be little spots where the light will shine through and the memories will flow . We just may need a little more time to find those special areas. This weekend when I am with my mom I am going to search out those spots and find some way to record them so they are not lost forever. I will leave you with a few of the most recent cakes held by the plate . Do you have a special item in your kitchen that you would like to share with me?

These taste so good mom, are they organic?

People often ask does organic food taste better? I say if you think so than that is all that matters since you and your family are the ones consuming it. I heard a wine expert on the radio yesterday . Some one phoned in and asked him if a certain wine was a good one. His answer surprised me with its simple honesty. He told the caller if it tastes good to you and you like it then it is a good wine. My children and I think organic foods taste better so that is all that matters, isn't it? It isn't that simple. Even if it tasted the same I think we would try as much as possible to buy organic food for health and environmental reasons. I belong to CAPE , the canadian association of physicians for the environment and we advocate for banning the use of pesticides and non organic fertilizers on the soil. Here are a toronto columnists , Adrian Vasil's top ten reasons to eat organic taken from her fantastic book ECOHOLIC . #1. You don't have to worry about biting into chemicals with every mouthful. #2 Organic food doesn't involve poisoning wildlife, workers and waterways. #3 There's never been a reported case of mad cow disease in organic cattle. #4 Your meat and eggs are drug free. #5 It's the only guarantee that you're not eating genetically modified ingredients. #6 Your food hasn't been zapped or irradiated. #7 Organic farms are hotbeds of life, fostering vibrant biodiversity, not sterile fields. #8 Organic produce is higher in vitamin C and contains 30% more antioxidants. #9 Eating an organic diet may reduce the levels of pesticides coursing through your body. # 10 Organic farmers can actually make a decent living, unlike most conventional Canadian farmers, whose income is in the red and dropping every year. Are you convinced? Maybe these pictures or food from the organic farmers market we went to yesterday will convince you. These vegetables tasted as good as they look.

Just after a delicious organic lunch or the porch. The sky started changing and the wind picked up. Arwen, who has recently taken to wanting to go outdoors wondered what was happening.

Edgar hid in his tent under the porch picnic table.

And then the sky opened and the rain felt down in sheets.

The hail was the size of ping pong balls.

When I was young we would have the rare hail storm and I thought it was exciting when the hail was the size of small marbles. I have never seen hail like this before but unfortunately because of global warming I fear it will become a common sight. Soon after the storm the sun was out again and my daughter was playing with the organic vegetables. In honor of my good friend elsita's return from a family holiday tomorrow I would like to introduce to you elsita purpura organica . Don't forget to play with , sorry I mean eat your vegetables today.

Return to the Land of the Fiddleheads

Every spring it is a family tradition to collect fiddleheads from the Humber river valley.

I was armed with my trusty swiss army knife and yellow rubber boots.

Warning !! If you can't recognize an ostrich fern in the early stages of growth don't attempt this. Some species of ferns are poisonous or can at least make you very sick if you ingest them. You need not collect the ones like this that have already unfurled.

This is what I am looking for .

It was so beautiful and green everywhere after the rain ( and snow) had fallen that morning. My family always harvests wisely. We only take a few fronds from any given fern plant so that the plant continues to grow and reproduce. It must be working because we have been collecting here for about 15 years and they are still flourishing in the area. They are best eaten within a few days of harvesting. You need to rinse them with lots of cold water to remove the brown skins called bracken covering the spirals. These are very bitter, discolor the water and can give belly aches. After that the simplest way to cool them is to boil or steam for about 12 minutes. You can eat them plain but my family likes them with a little butter and lemon juice. They have a delicious nutty flavor. Last night I made a version of jamie oliver's penne recipe
substituting fiddleheads for the olives and adding some organic roasted chicken and adding grated asiago cheese and roasted cashews .

Later in the week I will try a fiddlehead quiche or frittata and soup. What are you cooking up to celebrate spring?